The list of former Ducks making an impact in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continues to grow.
Cam Fowler had five points and Simon Benoit scored the overtime winner as both players aided their teams in Game 3 of their respective series.
Since being traded to the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 14, Fowler has 36 points in 51 games. His nine goals put him just shy of his career-high (11) set in 2016-17. It’s fair to say he would have set new career-highs in scoring if he had spent the entire season with the Blues.
Playing in the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons, Fowler is averaging over two points per game through three games and set a new Blues record for points in a postseason game with his five-point performance in Game 3.
Per NHL PR, Fowler became the ninth defenseman in NHL history to post at least seven points through their first three games of the postseason. He also became the eighth different defenseman to post five points in a single playoff game.
Fowler has looked like a completely different player since leaving Anaheim. Playing in a system which suits his strengths alongside a steady presence in Colton Parayko has allowed him to flourish. There’s no question that his impact played a key part in the Blues’ journey to a playoff berth this season.
It’s been two seasons since Benoit was a Duck, becoming an unrestricted free agent after not being tendered a qualifying offer.
After signing a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in Aug. 2023, Benoit’s physical nature and no-nonsense style of play endeared him to the Leafs and their fans.
Benoit was rewarded with a three-year contract extension in Mar. 2024 and has entrenched himself on the Leafs’ third defensive pair.
Not known very much for his offensive ability, Benoit was the Game 3 hero, scoring just 1:19 into overtime and giving the Leafs a 3-0 series lead over the Ottawa Senators. He also provided the primary assist on Max Domi’s overtime winner in Game 2.
Benoit’s journey to the NHL is one of perseverance after he went undrafted and signed a one-year with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL in 2018 after attending Ducks development camp the previous summer. He earned an entry-level contract (ELC) with the Ducks in Mar. 2019 and played in 137 games over parts of three seasons.
His time with the Ducks was during some of the franchise’s worst seasons and it’s clear that a system change and playing for a much better team has benefited the 26-year-old Québécois greatly.
With Anthony Stolarz and Frederik Andersen holding things down for their teams in net, there’s now almost enough player to make a pair of 3-on-3 teams up of former Ducks making an impact in this season’s playoffs.
